Railway-tipple.



A. H. WOUD RAILWAY TIFPLE. I APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8. 1915.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

A. H. WOOD.

RAILWAY TIPPLE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN- 8. I915- Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' h w WW A. H. WOOD.

RAILWAY TIPPLE.

APPLICATION HLED JAN. 8. 1915.

Patented Nov 14, 1916.

- UNITED STATES-j PATENT oEEIoE.

ALEXANDERH.'WOOID, F PETROS, TENNESSEE.

EAILWAY-TIEPEE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER H. Wooo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Petros, in the county of Morgan and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Tipples, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawlily improvement relates particularly to mine'car tipples which are constructed for rotation on an axis parallel or approximately parallel to the track on which cars are delivered to the tipple, whereby the cars. are turned sidewise far enough to discharge their contents by gravity.

The object of my invention is to provide such a tipplewhich may be cheaply constructed and which may be, easily and economically operated andrepaired, and which comprises provision for controlling thecar contents while the latter are being dis charged, this being for the purpose of avoid ing breakage of the material. Such feature is specially desirable in thehandling of coal.

Practically all parts of the structure are formed of stock pieces of iron or steel readily obtainable and easily put into the structure.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a structure embodying my improvement; Fig. 2 is a section on the line, 22, of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are detail 7 views.

Referring to said drawings, A is a stationary supporting structure on'which wheels or rollers, B, are mounted on axles which are on two lines parallel to each other and'to "the tipple axis. On saidwheels rests the cy 40 lindrical frame or turning'portion, C, ofthe tipple. Said turning frame or portion comprises ring-form ribs, 1, and longitudinal beam member-$2, unlting said ribs to form .a cylindrical skeleton structure. The rings are formed by bending railroad rails, of size suited to the required strength, into ring shape, the head being turned outward to 'rest on the wheels or rollers, B. The meet:

ing ends of the rails are joined, by tie-plates, 3., placed at each side of the rib over the joints formed by said, ends and in the Chan nels formed between the head and foot of the rail. Said plates are riveted or bolted to the rib.

The longitudinal beams or members, 2,

are pieces of channel iron extending through the series of ribs and laid flatwise (with,

Specification of Letters Patent.

give the structure v Patented Nov. 14, 1916. v Application filed January 8, 1915. Serial No. 1,163.

posed of channel ironh'aving its flanges di- 4 rected downward. At each end, said bridge piece is flattened and curved upward to rest flatwise, on the foot of the rib and there se: cured by riveting or bolting. Said bridges form supports, corresponding to ties, for two track rails, 5, which are parallel to each other and. to the frame axis and are suitably secured to said bridge pieces, as by means of rivets or bolts. Said rails are spaced from each other according to the gage of the czirs, D, which are to be emptied in the tipp e.

E is a fixed track over which the ears, D, are brought into the turning frame, C, the rails of said track registering with the rails, 5, when the rotary frame, C, is in its normal or rest position. Said fixed track, E, may be level or inclined, as may be required or permitted by the location. If the track de-. scends as it'approaches the tipple, the cars may be sent into the tipple by gravity and returned by means of a rope.

Outward from and above each end o each bridge piece is a lower bracket or chair,

6, composed of a piece of flat bar iron and having a hOIlZOIlttll portion and an approximately upright portion, forming a leg, and

having its ends bent to lie flatwise against the foot of the ring 1, and secured thereto by rivets or-bolts. Above each such 'chair IS an upper chalr, 7, which is also composed of apiece of flat bar iron bent to form a horizontal'portion and an upright portion,

to the parts against which they rest.' Above eachtrack rail, 5, a wheel guard rail, 8, is.

secured to the lower chairs, 6, parallel to said rails. Each such guard rail is an angle bar of metal having one of its flanges directed horizontally toward the other of said guardrails and having its other flange directed downward and bearing against the upper portions of the upright members of the chairs, 6, and firmly secured thereto. ,Sa'i'd wheel ,gua'rd irails extend the entire length :of

above the rail s, 5, only high enough to allow easy mssage of the wheels'of the cars, D, the horizontal flange of each angle-bar forming a means *for retaining .the car against movement away from the rails, 5, and '{the upright fflanges of said angle-bars forming means for restraining the car wheels from moving sidewise or transversely to the rails 5.

At each side of the space-to be traversed by the car, a car body guide rail,- -9, is secured {to the chairs, 7,:said rail-being a metal angle "bar having one flange directed downward along the inner face of the upright portion of each chair and the other ifla nge extending outward over the upper face of the chair. Each of said bars is firmly secured to the chairs upon which it rests. The height of the upper chairs, 7, is made such as to bring the body guard rails, 9, opposite the upper portion of the car, and the chairs at opposite sides of the ring are spaced from each "other to so position the said guard rails as to merely allow easy passage of the car when the structure, U, stands in position to place the car upright.

'Two exteriorly channeled rings, 12, .surround the group of longitudinal beams, 2. Each such ring has its flanges directed outward and has its Web secured to the webs of thebeams. Said channeled rings are preferably placed in planes which are equidistant from the middle of the length of the cylindrical frame.

a It is to be observed that all the parts thus far mentioned are made of ordinary stock materials. This simplifies and cheapens the purchase of stock and also facilitates and cheapens the work of-buildi ng and repair- Iing, all of which can be done at a blacksmith shop.

When the structure is in its normal or rest position so that the rails, 5, 5, are in the lowest position), the cars are supported upon the rails, 5. lVhen the cylindrical frame is turned, the car body bears against thebody guard rail, 9, at that side of the car, and the wheels at that side bear sidewise against the wheel guard rail at that side; .and when the structure is turned sufficiently to make the wheels tend to leave the rails, 5, the wheels will bear against the horizontal flanges of the guard rails, 8, whereby the car is efficiently engaged to compel its remaining in the position it assumed relative to the rotary structure when the car enters said structure.

Above the upperirhairs, 7', at the side of car body.

iture and ha ing one edge joined to the adjacent body guard rail, 9, and thawing its other edge joined to the adjacent channelbeam, Said apron, 1 1, is formed =o fsfheet metal and is preferably curved as shown in Fig. 2. then thus placed, the inner .edgeof said apron -,o p(; si. te the upper edge of the A chute, F, is sum-)orted by the support". i ng structure, A, parallel to the :axis of the timile and eccentric to said axis, the upper portion of said chute being substantially horizontally opposite said axis and-close to the apron, 1:1, and the chute extending thence downward any distance beneath the rotary frame, whereby the space between the rotary frame and the upperportion of {the face of the chute is relatively small and gradually increases going :downward. Said chute "has a sheet-metal lining, 10, to afford durability and smoothness.

l V-hen the rotary structure is turnect clockwise, as shown in Fig. 2, the discharge apron, 11, sweeps downward with its outer edge close to the face of the chute, F, so that little if any of the coal in the car can pass between said members. As the turning progresses and the apron, 11, moves farther downward, the distance between the apron and the chute, F, gradually .increases, so that by the time or soon after the car has been turned far enough to discharge all of its contents by gravity the opening between the apron and the chute is large enough to allow the charge of coal to pass.

There the course of the chute, F, approaches the horizontal su'fiiciently' to prevent such rapid movement of the coal as might cause breaking of"the lumps. Farther on, the slant of the chute may be adapted to restrain the movement of the coal to the desired extent. Thus the entire charge is kept under control to prevent breakage of the coal. At the same time there is no delay through retarding the movement of the rotary frame.

The rotary frame is supported entirely on the rollers, B, and it is turned forward far enough to discharge "the coal and then turned backward to the normal or rest position, the position in which the rails, 5, are in alinement with the rails of the fixed track, E.

The forward turning is by means of an expansion cylinder, 14, having a piston, 15, on which is a pivoted yoke, 16. To each end of said yoke is secured one end of a rope or cable, 17 which extends over guide pulleys, 18, and, 19, and thence into and a few times around the channel rings, 12, and thence downward and over guide pulleys, 20 and 21, and beneath a pulley,'22. From a hanger, 23, on said pulley a rope or chain, 24, extends downward and supports a counterweight, 20. The rope, 17, extends around 1 backward, a post, 26, is. set on the structure,

A, to engage an arm, 27 on the frame.

The counter-weight is sufiicient to return the rotary frame, includingempty cars, into the normal position and so hold said frame after the fluid in the expansion chamber,

1 1, has been released. Steam or compressed air or other fluid under pressure is let into the expansion chamber throu h the inlet pipe, 28, by; opening a thrott e valve, 29, for drivin the piston downward to draw the rope, 1 in the direction for turning the rotary frame forward. Such movement may be limited by the limit placed on the downward movement of the piston. After the discharge of the cars, the throttle valve is closed and the exhaust valve, 30, on a branch pipe, 31, is opened. Then the counter-weight will draw on the rope, from its side of the cylindrical frame, sufliciently to slide the piston upward and drive the fluid outward through the exhaust branch, 31. The rapidity of such exhaust will determine the rapidity of the return of the cylindrical frame to its normal position. The operator may vary the rapidity of such exhaust by varying the opening of the exhaust valve, 30.

The expansion chamber and the pulley, 22, and the counter-weight are placed substantially in a plane cutting the tipple axis transversely at its middle, and the pulleys, 19, and the channel rings, 12, are placed in or near planes parallel to said middle plane and located at some distance to each side of the latter, in order. that the action of the' ropes for the turning of the rotary frame will be distributed upon said frame, although only one expansion cylinder and one counter-weight are used. This arrangement of the rope, 17, with the pulley, 22, and the counter-weight allows adjustment of the counter-weight upon the rope, whereby a self adjustment of therope takes place so that, although the engagement of the rope with the rotary structure is divided and separated; the strain is automatically equalized and so maintained by the counterweight.

Obviously the tipple may be made of suf-' ficient length toreceive one or a group of cars at the same time.

I claim as my invention,

'1. In a tipple, the combination of a rotary frame, means external to the perimeter of said frame for supporting .said frame rotatably, a rope extending around said frame in two planes which are transverse to the tipple axis, said rope extending away from said frame at opposite sides of the engagement with the frame, a counterweight hung shiftably on said rope at one side of said frame, and means applied to said rope at the opposite side of said frame for drawing said rope toward said side in opposition to the action of said counterweight, substantially as described.

2. In a tipple, the combination of a cylindrical frame, means external to the perimeter of said frame for supporting the latter rotatably,-a counter-weight, a, pulley connected with said counter-weight, an expansion member, a rope in operative relation with said expansion member and extending to and around said cylindrical frame in two planes which are transverse to the tipple axis, and thence beneath said pulley, sub stantially as described.

3. In a tipple, the combination of a cylindrical frame, means external to the perimeter of said frame for supporting the latter rotatably, a counter-weight, an expansion member, and tension means leading from said counter-weight and said expansion member to said frame at a plurality of planes transverse to said frame and there engaging said frame, substantially as described. i

4. In a tipple, the combination of a cylindrical frame, means external to the perime-. ter of said frame' for supporting the latter rotatably, a c0unterweight, tension means leading from said counter-weight to said frame in a plurality of planes transverse to said frame and there engaging said frame,

and-means under control of an operator for turning said frame in opposition to the action of said counter-weight, substantially as described.

I 5. In a rotary tipple, the combination of a stationary structure, wheels supported by said structure on two lines parallel to the tipple axis, ring-form ribs resting on said wheels, longitudinal beams extending through said series of ring-form ribs and secured thereto, two exteriorly-channeled rings surrounding said group of beams and secured thereto, tension means applied to said channel rings, a counter-weight shift ably supported by said tension means and means for drawing said tension means, substantially as described.

. In testimony whereof I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this. 17th day of December, in the year one thousand nine hundred and fourteen.-

ALEXANDER H. WOOD.

Witnesses: CYRUS KEHR,

S. E. HODGES. 

